Luke 5:1-3

1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 

 

As we will read in the later verses, this happened after an entire night of fishing. Simon and the other fishermen were washing their nets, and rest was definitely their priority at this point. However, when Jesus made this request, Simon stopped whatever he was doing, and responded to His request. 

 

When God “interrupts”, how do we respond?

Do we allow God to interrupt us in our busyness? 

 

God can call us during an inconvenient time. It was definitely inconvenient for Simon to serve Jesus after an entire night of fishing, especially when they caught nothing and were probably discouraged too. Simon could have said… 

 

“How about we do this later in the afternoon? I need a bath and a rest now.”

“Now is not a good time, how about you row the boat out by yourself?”

 

Instead of responding this way, Simon prioritized Jesus’ need over all of his own.

 

Luke 5:4-11

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. 

 

Vs 4 - “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

 

Jesus was really in the mood to stretch Simon! Not only did Jesus ask Simon to take Him out on the boat to teach, but now Jesus was asking him to launch back out into the deep to fish! These were undoubtedly tests of faith. 

 

Let’s think about this for a moment. 

If Jesus wanted to bless Simon and the fishermen, He surely could have just performed a miracle and caused the fishes to jump into the boat. Jesus did not really need Simon to launch into the deep and do all the manual work. But as we all already know, God is always wanting us to exercise faith. Jesus created an opportunity for Simon and the fishermen to be blessed through faith. 

 

While there are times when God would simply bless us directly, very often we see a pattern where faith is required first before blessing is given. Another example can be found in 2 Kings 5. Naaman’s blessing (deliverance from leprosy) was dependent on his faith and his willingness to dip his body in the Jordan river 7 times. God’s word through Elisha the prophet contradicted Naaman’s logical mind but God wanted Naaman to simply believe and not rely on his own wisdom. 

 

Has this ever happened to us before?

Or, has God challenged us to do something recently, so that He can also bless us through it? 

 

Vs 5 - “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

 

The two keywords here are “Master” and “Nevertheless”. 

 

Regardless of Simon’s reasoning, he still obeyed  because he recognized Jesus as Master. Because Simon respected the authority of Jesus, he valued Jesus’ command over his own thoughts and experience. 

 

Generally speaking, we humans depend a lot on our experience and lessons that we have learnt over the years of our lives. We normally make decisions based on our experience and knowledge. But when we choose to follow Christ, He demands for us to rely on Him more than everything that we have learnt before.

 

If God reveals to us through counsel or prophecy that we have to do something that is against our own wisdom or common sense, are we willing to take the step of faith and follow His path? 

 

Vs 6 - 7 - When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish…

 

It’s important to highlight that Simon chose to serve Jesus from the beginning without expectations of such a blessing. Jesus did not reveal to Simon that He had plans to bless him after His teaching. Simon’s service came from pure obedience and he simply did it because Jesus was Master. 

 

On the contrary, we see so many Christians these days serving God with expectations. This is called “Transactional Faith” where people expect God to give when they give. They serve God because of blessings. Unfortunately, many churches are trying to get people to serve by attracting them with God’s blessings and promises, not knowing that such a perspective is harmful to a Christian. 

 

While it is true and biblical that God will provide and bless us (in His own way) when we forsake all, follow and serve Him, blessings should never be our motivation. It was certainly not Simon’s motivation. 

 

As much as this was a true blessing to the fishermen, more importantly, this was a lesson for them to trust in Jesus. 

 

Vs 8 - When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

 

This statement from Peter further proves the point that we made earlier, that he never expected such grace and blessing from Jesus. His words reveal a sense of unworthiness to serve Jesus or to be blessed by Him. 

 

God is always looking for people who are humble, contrite in spirit (remorseful), and who tremble at His word (Isaiah 66:2). Peter totally fitted this description. How do we think we fit into this description? 

 

Peter’s statement about his sinfulness did not come from nowhere. It was a result of following and listening to the teachings of Jesus (and John the Baptist) about sin, repentance and the kingdom of God. Peter must have been confused at the fact that he was receiving such grace despite his sinfulness! This wasn’t just a lesson on faith, but it was a lesson on grace also. 

 

Having received such unexplainable grace, Peter could not help but break down, confessed, and totally surrendered himself to Jesus. 

 

Vs 10 - “Do not be afraid…”

 

Peter was not happy or excited. He was afraid! 

Peter was afraid not because there were too many fishes, but because he knew that he was standing in the presence of the Son of the living God. 

 

Peter’s fearful response is not uncommon in the Bible. 

 

In Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah thought that he was going to die when he was in the presence of God, because of his sinful lips. 

 

In Job 42:5-6, after God revealed His majesty to Job, Job acknowledged his sins, detested himself, feared God and repented. 

 

These people trembled and feared God because they understood how God feels towards sin. They understood that no evil should ever dwell in the presence of the Almighty God (Psalm 5:4-5). 

 

On the contrary, we have churches today that preach “God accepts you for who you are” and they do not actively deal with sin. We have trivialized God's holiness (belittled or despised God’s holiness) to the point where we think that He is tolerant of our sins and that we can remain in them just because Jesus had died for us. 

 

We must be reminded today that we should rightfully fear God if there are sins in our lives that we have yet to repent of. What sins would come to our minds if we were to stand in the presence of God today? What are you prepared to do about them? 

 

Vs 10 - “From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

After giving these fishermen their biggest catch ever, Jesus demanded that it would be their “final catch”. Can you just imagine… after receiving your biggest paycheck, you are then told that it would be your last paycheck? 

 

Many people would have seen this as an impossible sacrifice, especially after being blessed abundantly. But not these fishermen. 

 

Everything that they have heard, learnt, and witnessed, led them to this point of complete surrender. They willingly gave up their professions, plans, and even possibilities to be rich… to follow Jesus. They were convicted to forsake all because Jesus could provide all. 

 

Let’s reflect on this. 

How has God provided for you before? 

God does not provide for us or do miracles in our lives just so that we can remain unchanged and continue living our own lives. He does them because He wants us to trust Him more and do His will. 

 

Luke 5:12-13

12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. 

 

Jesus could have healed the leper through His words, but why did Jesus choose to touch him? Touching a leper is the last thing that anyone would do! 

 

Among a few other good reasons, the likely reason why Jesus touched him was love. 

 

By touching the leper, Jesus not only healed him physically, but He healed him emotionally and mentally. Lepers are usually rejected by the community and they actually suffer a lot mentally and emotionally. By touching him, Jesus was displaying love and acceptance. 

 

In 1 Corinthians 13, we learn that love is the greatest. If the gifts and powers of God are done without love, they would mean nothing at all. God is love (1 John 4:16) and we must represent Him in all we do. 

 

As Christians, we must never forget love. We are always at risk of doing great things for God without love. 

 

Luke 5:14-16

14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”

15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. 

 

Vs 14 - And He charged him to tell no one…

 

As we have already learnt, Jesus was careful with the attention that He was getting. He knew that the quicker His popularity grew, the quicker His death would come too. 

 

Vs 14 - “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.

 

In the law of Moses, if a person was healed of leprosy, he had to show himself to the priests and they would decide if he was clean enough to rejoin the community. And if the person is clean, he has to go through a ceremony and make an offering to God too (Leviticus 13-14). 

 

Jesus respected the law of Moses and instructed the man to do accordingly.  

 

Vs 16 -  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. 

 

No matter how busy Jesus became and how successful He was, He never lost the discipline of solitude with God. This discipline is the reason why Jesus could speak what the Father spoke and do what the Father willed. 

 

There should be no reason for us to not have communion with God. Busyness or tiredness cannot be reasons we give for not spending time with God. Without solitude with God, we will be navigating through life dangerously and risk living life without God. 

 

Luke 5:17

17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 

 

Jesus ministered most often in teaching. 

 

As much as there were miracles, healings, casting of demons… the one main thing that Jesus did more often than the rest was teaching. 

 

Teaching (or preaching) is the only ministry that guides people to truth and salvation. 

Without it, the other ministries would lose their meaning. 

 

The ministry of teaching must be the main tool used in our efforts of outreach. We cannot be going around the world healing, giving, helping… but not teaching enough. We must prioritize teaching so that people will know the truth. 

 

No matter how tough the crowd was, Jesus kept on teaching. In this case, Pharisees and teachers of the law came from various places to observe Him, but Jesus simply continued teaching. 

 

Jesus taught…

 

• In the synagogues (Luke 4:44)

• At the lake (Luke 5:1)

• In the mountains (Matthew 5:1-2)

• In homes (Mark 2:1-2)

• In the temple (John 7:14)

 

He taught so much that many people called him “Teacher” (Luke 21:7, Mark 4:38…). 

 

Are we teaching enough in our ministry today? 

 

Luke 5:18-26

18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” 

 

Vs 19 - And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

 

Collective faith helps us overcome obstacles together. 

 

According to Mark 2:3, there were 4 men who helped carry the paralyzed man. So, there were 5 men in total. 

 

When they saw that it was too crowded and there was no way to get to Jesus, any one of the 5 men could have lost their faith and decided to give up. Instead, they had one faith, one conviction, and one action. When we work as a team, faith can be rubbed off on one another and we help each other keep the faith.

 

If we find ourselves struggling with faith, we need to be in the company of people of faith so that we can be encouraged and learn from them. When we find it hard to believe, find someone who believes more than you and speak with them. 

 

Vs 20 - When He saw their faith…

 

Faith is always the key to our breakthroughs. 

In fact, faith is always the key to unlocking the things of God.

 

Some other examples:

 

• Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant because of his faith (Matthew 8)

• Jesus healed the woman with flow of blood issue because of her faith (Luke 8:48)

• Jesus healed blind men because they had faith (Matthew 9:28-29)

• Jesus healed ten lepers because they had faith (Luke 17:19)

 

There are many others but these are just some of them. 

Perhaps, if we are waiting on the Lord to do or act on something, the question we must ask ourselves is, “Do I have faith?”

And if waiting is required, are we careful to make sure that we keep the faith till it happens? 

 

Vs 20-24 

 

“Your sins are forgiven...”

 

When Jesus saw the faith of the 5 men, the first thing He chose to speak about was forgiveness of sins. This message was more important than healing! Salvation (permanent) is more important than healing (temporary)! Jesus had His priorities right. 

 

For most Christians, we would have been asked before to pray for someone’s healing right? It is likely that we may have been asked before to pray for the healing of an unbeliever too. When such an opportunity comes again the next time, shall we do like Jesus did? Instead of just praying for someone’s healing, perhaps it is good for us to first address the more important issue: Salvation. If someone has faith to be healed, why not challenge the person to first exercise faith towards repentance and salvation? 

 

“Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

 

The scribes and Pharisees were offended because Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven”. 

 

Scribes were experts who copied, interpreted, and taught Scriptures. A clear example of a scribe is Ezra (Nehemiah 8). They were people who were expected to have a good understanding of the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets. 

 

Pharisees were a very strict sect of Judaism (Acts 26:5). They prided themselves in being the most devout and considered themselves to be elite compared to the other Jews. They followed closely the Law of Moses and they had traditions that were hard to follow. 

 

The scribes and the Pharisees believed that only God could forgive sins. They did not believe that God would give authority to a Man to forgive sins (Isaiah 53), because they interpreted and understood prophecies wrongly. All across the Gospels, we will read of many encounters where Jesus rebuked these groups of people for their lack of understanding, wrong interpretation, and lack of belief in the Scriptures. And there was no excuse for them because God also sent John the Baptist to announce the coming of Jesus and described Jesus as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Their stubbornness and pride prevented them from accepting the fact that Jesus was the Messiah and that He could forgive sins. 

 

This is why Jesus purposely spoke of forgiving sins. Despite knowing that the statement will offend people, He chose to teach them the truth. Jesus could have just healed the man and avoided conflict, but He did not. 

 

Some reflections:

Do we dare to speak the truth when it is necessary? 

Are we open to be corrected in our understanding of Scriptures?  

 

Vs 26 - And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear…

 

What does “glorifying God” mean to you? 

 

Is it just a “thank you God” prayer? 

Is it just sharing a testimony on a Sunday? 

 

As we continue reading the book of Luke, we will read about more examples of how people glorified God and we will study deeper on this topic later. But for now, we should reflect on how we glorify God, especially after witnessing or receiving blessings from Him. Do we glorify God enough? 

 

Luke 5:27-29

27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 

 

Vs 27 - … named Levi…

 

Levi was also known as Matthew.

This same account is also recorded in the book of Mark and Matthew. In Matthew’s account, he refers to himself as Matthew instead. 

 

It was quite common during those times for people to have more than one name. Joseph was also known as Barnabas (Acts 4:36), Thomas was also known as the Twin (John 11:16), and as we already know, Jesus gave Simon a new name called Peter. 

 

Vs 27-28 - Jesus said to him, “Follow Me”... So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

 

“Follow Me” was a tagline that summed up Jesus’ invitation to discipleship. 

 

It was a call to…

 

• Repent from sin (Luke 5:32)

• Deny self (Luke 9:23)

• Change one’s way of life (John 3:7)

• Learn from Jesus (Matthew 11:29)

• Do God’s will (Matthew 7:21)

 

“He left all” did not only mean that Matthew left his job.

Matthew sacrificed riches, comfort, status, way of life, his will… when he chose to leave all and follow Jesus. Not only that, but his choice to follow Jesus also meant that he had to build relationships with the people who once disliked him (commoners never liked tax collectors). This was a big adjustment for him. 

 

Can we relate with any of these? 

Have our decisions to follow Christ involved any of these sacrifices? 

 

Following Jesus isn’t just reading the Bible or going to church once a week. There are so many things that come with following Christ and we will continue to dive deeper into this as we read on. 

 

Vs 29 - Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 

​

Following Jesus was a choice that was worth celebrating for Matthew! It was profit and not loss. 

 

The reason why Matthew could have such a perspective was probably because He saw that the value of Jesus was far greater than the things that he needed to sacrifice. This is a great example of the parables that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 13. 

 

Is following Jesus a profit or loss to us? 

Do we celebrate or mourn in our choice to follow Him? 

Are we still joyous even after following Him for some years? 

​

Luke 5:30-33

30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

33 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” 

 

Vs 30 - The scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

 

We see yet another example of the scribes and Pharisees not understanding the purpose of the Messiah. 

 

Isaiah 53 describes the Messiah as one who will bear the sins of many. 

Isaiah 49 talks about how the Messiah is a light to all, and salvation to the ends of the earth. 

 

The scribes and Pharisees saw salvation as an exclusive privilege to people who could live up to their standards of traditions and righteousness (Luke 18). 

 

Because of such a mindset, their understanding and expectations of the Messiah became distorted and wrong. Of course Jesus had to be eating and drinking with sinners in order to save them! 

 

Vs 31-32

 

Jesus then gave a practical analogy about the sick needing a physician and patiently taught them again about His purpose of saving sinners. There’s something here that Christians can learn, especially if we have been Christians for a long time. 

 

After being integrated into a Christian community, and after establishing good and godly relationships with other Christians, we may have a likelihood to stay away from sinners. We may simply just want to enjoy the blessings of God and not “get our hands dirty”. Such is the “elite mindset” of the Pharisees and we must avoid it. 

 

So, it is important for us to check if we have made such a mistake. Let’s remember that Christians are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and we must always be willing to connect with sinners in order to save sinners. 

 

 

Vs 33 - Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” 

 

Jesus’ disciples broke tradition. 

They disrupted the norm. 

And they did so for good reasons. 

 

The scribes and Pharisees felt threatened because the actions of Jesus and His disciples were changing how people viewed righteousness and godliness. For years, the scribes and the Pharisees were the “standards of righteousness” for the people. So, when Jesus and the disciples acted differently, and still did such wonders, the scribes and Pharisees were afraid that they would lose credibility. Their long prayers and fastings would have lost appeal.

 

Luke 5:34-39

34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”

36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39 And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’” 

 

Vs 34 - “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?”

 

Firstly, let’s define what fasting is. 

Simply put, fasting is to abstain from food or water. 

It is to stop oneself from eating or drinking. 

 

Secondly, what’s the reason for fasting? 

 

Interestingly, Matthew records this same event in Matthew 9:14-15 by writing, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”

 

Mourning, Fasting, and Seeking are often associated in Scriptures and they are closely related. 

 

Some examples from the Bible:

 

• God commands His people to turn to Him by mourning and fasting (Joel 2:12)

• Daniel fasted while he mourned (Daniel 10:2-3)

• Nehemiah fasted as he grieved and prayed over Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4)

• David mourned and fasted over the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1:11-12)

• Ezra proclaims a fast for the people to pray and seek God for protection (Ezra 8:21-23)

• Esther declared a fast for the Jews so that they may pray for God’s favor upon her (Esther 4:15-16)

• The church fasted and prayed while seeking for God’s direction (Acts 13:2-3)

 

In summary, mourning is a feeling of grief over loss or lack. It is the reason why we fast from food or water, and the reason why we seek God desperately. 

 

So, do we now understand Jesus’ response to the scribes and Pharisees? 

 

There is a time for everything, and certainly there is a time for fasting. While Jesus (Bridegroom) was still physically present with the disciples, there was no reason for grief and there was no lack. However, when the Bridegroom is taken away, the time would then be appropriate for the disciples to mourn, fast, and seek. 

 

Do we fast for the right reasons today? 

 

Vs 36-39

 

The parables about the garment and the wine were excellent practical examples that people could relate to. In short, Jesus was addressing their old ways. The scribes and the Pharisees were so glued to their traditions and ways of life that they could not receive what Jesus offered. Jesus offered living water, but their cups were full. 

 

This is why Jesus spoke about the need to be born again if one wanted to enter the kingdom of God (John 3). One must be willing to change his mind, to unlearn and relearn. Fortunately, one Pharisee was able to do this: Paul. 

 

In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul spoke about how he considered everything that he had formerly learnt to be rubbish. The old needs to be removed, for the new to be put on (2 Cor 5:17). We only grow in the excellence of the knowledge of God when we are thoroughly born again. 

 

Let’s reflect on this for a while now.

Are there things to unlearn and relearn? 

Since we were born, we have learnt many things from the world. Our parents, teachers, friends, and even the internet, have taught us many values, beliefs, and habits. 

Are we getting mentored closely enough to identify the “old wine” in our lives? 

And more importantly, are we humble enough and dedicated to make serious changes? 

 

Vs 39 - “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

 

This statement carries so much truth. 

 

Change is not easy. We will always naturally gravitate towards our old self and old ways. It will take time for us to adjust into our new lives in Christ, along with the new habits, thinkings and practices.

 

This is why Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

 

Because of our tendency to return to the old, we need to constantly and daily choose the new. It takes focus and discipline to achieve this and that is why a Christian’s life is described as a fight (1 Tim 6:12) and a race (Hebrews 12:1). 

 

What are some of the “old” things that we find ourselves constantly falling back into? 

Never ever give up or say that it is impossible, because we have Christ to strengthen us! (Phil 4:13).

​

​

BACK (CHAPTER 4)